VODOPARAD-2004: TO THE CITY AND TO THE WORLD

The forth event of the project "Vodoparad" was the first design salute to two jubilees of the year – to Kharkov and the organizer of the project, the largest supplier of the best equipment and tiles UAJV "Vlada-Promtex". The unique project which has no analogues in Ukraine was born and developed due to a creative initiative of designers and the firm leaders. "Vodoparad" was a success at previous design seasons and this has provided the increasing attention of Ukrainian and foreign specialists, critics, manufactures of the equipment for bathrooms to Kharkov and its creative potential.

We’ve got "Vodoparad", and what about you? - Is "Vodoparad" an exhibition, competition or a festival? - Neither. "Vodoparad" is love…

What prompts the designers to leave the strict routine of custom-built working and devote themselves to the superfluous (unrealizable at times) projecting? According to the participants themselves it’s not important who will be the winner. It is the atmosphere of festival, communication, creative environment that count. Every year this very circumstance gathers such constant participants of "Vodoparad" as Vladimir Bondarenko, Oleg Vereschagin, Sergey Gavrichenkov, Andrey Nikishin, Alexander Kolesnikov, Yelena Kudinova, Yuriy Morozyuk, Igor Ostapenko, Vladimir Pogorelchuk, Yuriy Ryntovt, Nikolay Sokolov, Yuriy and Olga Spasovs, Alexander Storozhilov, Sergey Tynynyka, Olga Chernaya, creative trio "the Fomichov brothers and Arkadiy Babichenko".

"Vodoparad"… it’s infectious The opening of the exhibition has shown: "Vodoparad" is turning into the epicenter of design creativity. There were one hundred applications from Kharkov, Kiev, Odessa, Lvov, Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Poltava, Simferopol. The project is involving new participants into its orbit. They are well-known designers and architects, students and graduates. Many of them were rated highly by the jury of experts and foreign partners of the project. By tradition "Vodoparad" announces new names: Andrey Galushko, Alexander Gorlov, Yekaterina Yeryomenko, Igor Lyalyuk, Tatyana Ryzhova, Inna Pedan.

From Project – To Object

The abundance of interesting ideas prompted the organizing committee to change the format of the exhibition and expose 56 objects as well as projects submitted to the competition. The forth exposition turned out to be rich in beautiful project solutions, elegant casting, concepts which allowed to recast the process of washing with functional, ready to replication objects.

Absurd and strange, funny, reckless, magic…

Kharkov School of Design is characterized by its inclination to a joke, artistry. The forth "Vadaparad" was not the exception as it demonstrated the diversity of approaches to the theme solution in this specific field of design: sign, concept, art installation, social art. A folklore (but not broken) trough*, sieve, good-natured Oscar sparkling with a golden cord, a dry Zen garden (the object of morning meditations) and a number of art installations from fur fantasy kind of Water-Jurassic period to the open social art created the image of media in contemporary art for the design exhibition.

* The broken trough appeals to the Russian fairy tale "The Fisherman and the Fish" reworked by Pushkin as a poem, where it is a symbol of poverty and broken hopes.

Kharkov Brand

In the context of "Vodoparad" there were some presentations of the company "Villeroy&Boch" and the collection "Axor-Citterio" made by the concern "Hansgrohe". Top designers, architects, journalists, Ukrainian dealers came to the meeting with managers and heads of the leading European firms which produce the equipment for bathrooms. Thus, "Vodoparad" became the space-time modus of the Ukrainian design process where ideas and information are intensively exchanged, the bathroom equipment has an efficient promotion, vectors of design development are determined, where the status of design as the way of thinking, lifestyle and a special field of contemporary art is strengthened.

The chairman of the organizing committee Boris Litkin comments on the situation, "Today our associates are 87 architects and designers from eight regions of Ukraine, 15 representatives of leading manufactures of bathroom equipment, 16 journalists from 8 professional magazines of Ukraine, Russia, Kharkov State Academy of Design and Arts, the Union of Architects and the Union of Designers… It looks as if "Vodoparad" is irreversible and I hope that by our common efforts it will be one of the most prestigious Kharkov brands". At the final awards ceremony the mayor of Kharkov Vladimir Shumilkin emphasized the importance of the project in shaping the image of Kharkov. He also said that "Vodoparad" was awarded the municipal prize.

To be continued…

On the day of summing up the exposition was visited by the representatives of associates of UAJV "Vlada-Promtex", the largest European manufactures of bathroom equipment. At the press conference the guests pointed to a high level of the works by Kharkov designers. James Philippe Hansgrohe (Director of "Axor-Hansgrohe") said in his speech, "Vodoparad" is getting popular not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Last year our designers were here. And this year I decided to visit the exhibition myself. I’ve found lots of interesting things in the works of Kharkov designers and in future I’m going to support this project". The journalists’ question "Can "Vodoparad-2004" be presented at any of the European exhibitions?" was unambiguously answered by nearly all the participants like "It must be there". In support of the above said Dieter Robbers, the East Europe Area Export Manager of "Hansgrohe Water Technology AG & Co. KG", announced that the directors intended to show 15 works of "Vodoparad-Collection" at the most prestigious, in the world of design, Milan exhibition. The representatives of "Hansgrohe", "Villeroy & Boch", "Huppe", "Gessi" said that the nominees selected by them would receive the invitation to visit the factories, seminars, and exhibitions in Germany and Italy.